Trials of Life, starring Jim and Sara
by Judge-Douglas-Mason
Summary: BS. The title says it all
1. Default Chapter

I had to pull this and another story because, in my infinite wisdom, Itook my knock-out pills and got the chapter updates mixed up. Letthis be a lesson to all you insomniacs out there; AFTER YOU TAKE YOURAMBIEN GET OFFLINE IMMEDIATELY!

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with CBS or CSI.  
I just use their characters as my puppets.

Not So Secret Admirer

I sit, he stares.  
I move, I feel his eyes on me.  
I work, he is there, hovering in the distance.  
I feel him with me, always.  
I speak, he listens intently.  
I frown at him, he smiles at me.  
I am frustrated, he comforts me as best he can.  
I fume, he gives me his totally disarming grin.  
I sleep, I dream of him.

I have had admirers before, but somehow, this one is different.  
Usually I am a little creeped out, but he is different. There is warmthfrom him, a need to see to my well being. Is he interested in me, socially.He seems to pay a lot of attention to me. He is always there when I needhim most, but don't truly realize that it is him who I need. It could beanother team member, but it is always him that shows up in my time of need.  
Like a Guardian Angel, one would say.

He sits, I watch him.  
He moves, I wonder where he has gone to.  
He speaks, I watch his mouth.  
He smiles, I melt.  
He gets flustered, I console him.  
He walks, I watch his movements.  
He drinks, I wish I was his glass, gently touching his lips.

I see him and he makes my heart skip a beat or two. His smile is like goldto me. I love his teeth, his canines so prominent. His eyes, filled withsuch emotion, a beautiful shade of hazel. His shoulders, so broad, I justwant to wrap my arms around him. I want to feel his body heat transferfrom him to me.

The shift has ended and as I make my way home, my thoughts wander to him,and what he comes home to. Does he have a girlfriend, is he sharing hislife with someone? Selfishly, I hope not.

I enter my apartment and drop my keys on the table in the hall. I walkto my computer and switch it on. While it is booting, I walk to the kitchenand make some coffee. I try to avoid sleep, when I dream, I dream of him.I hardly know him. I sit in front of my monitor and begin to check my mail.As I scroll down, I see a mystery mail. I open it and see before me:

"Will you have breakfast with me tomorrow after shift?"

I check the sender's identity and all I see is what can only be a  
nom de plum; Guardian Angel. I skip through to my other messages and myinstant messenger goes off. Its my Guardian Angel.

You looked a bit stressed today  
It was a herd day. Yes.  
Did you get my mail?  
Yes, I did.  
So, will you have breakfast with me tomorrow after shift?  
Well, that depends.  
On what?  
On who is asking.  
A not so secret admirer  
That could be anyone  
True, but its just me.  
And who are you?  
Think of me as your Guardian Angel.  
I gathered as much from your nom de plum.  
Tomorrow at Dexter's. Public place, lots of people.  
We'll see how the shift goes. Do you work with me?  
Frequently.  
Give me a hint as to whom I would be expecting to meet.  
That would detract from the fun of the mystery.  
Huh.  
Is non-threatening. You could probably kick my ass. :-)  
We'll see. I'm going to sleep now.  
Sweet dreams, Sara. See you tomorrow morning.

And with that, the brief message session had ended. As I make my wayto bed, I wonder who my Guardian Angel could be. He says he works with me,and I know everyone I work with. My head hits the pillow and my eyesflutter their way closed. I dream of him. His face, image and voice invademy unconscious thoughts. The dream is sweet.

Ring!  
Ring!  
Ring!

I roll over, torn from my much needed sleep, and pick up the phone.I look at the clock before yelling at the offending caller.

"This better be good." I say in a sleepy voice.  
"I just wanted to make sure you got in ok." said the voice  
"Grissom. Figures it would be you that woke me. I was actually sleepingfor the first time in days."  
"Well, I'll let you go then, just checking in on you."  
"And what are you now, my Guardian Angel?" I asked, fishing  
"Well, I like to think that I look after all my team members." he said softly  
"Good night, Grissom."

As I am about to close my cell, I hear him call to me.

"What, Grissom?"  
"I have some reports due soon and I was wondering if you could help me.Tomorrow after shift, maybe?"

I hesitate for a few seconds before answering.

"I'm sorry, Griss. I already have plans to meet someone." I said.  
"Good night."  
"Oh, ok, then. Good night Sara."

I turned my phone off and tried to get back to sleep, but could not.My mind was wandering on thoughts of my not so secret admirer.I crawled out of bed and got some more coffee from the kitchen.Sitting down on my couch, I hear the doorbell ring. Sluggishly, I getup to answer it. I open the door to see no one. My foot hits somethingsolid. I look down. There is a slender crystal vase with a single redrose in it on my front door step. There is a card attached. It reads.

"Eagerly awaiting tomorrow morning. Your Guardian Angel."

This was the break I needed. I threw some clothes on and jumped into mytruck and drove to the lab. I would print the card and have the handwritinganalyzed. I took the card and dusted it. Two very good prints emerged.I lifted them and ran them through the scanner. I tapped my footrelentlessly as the machine spat out the results. I looked down and readthe findings. The prints did not belong to anyone I worked with.They probably belonged to the florist, who probably wrote the card as well.I growled in frustration.

I looked up at the clock and saw that it was not too long before shiftwould start. I had a decent amount of sleep, before the phone rang.This would knock Grissom for a loop, me being in before he got in.I decided to give myself some time to rest a bit before shift began.I settled into the couch in the break room and tilted my head back andclosed my eyes.

I woke from my rest to the sounds of the team coming in. I looked up andsaw Grissom staring down at me. His eyes twinkled as he looked at my lap.I looked down to see another rose, lying gently in my lap.

"You have a secret admirer, I see." he quipped  
"What makes you say that?" I asked  
"Well, he left the rose while you were asleep. He did not wake you.He wants to be anonymous." he theorized

I stood up and walked to the conference table and sat down. As the teamgot their slips, Grissom handed me mine. I was to meet Brass at the cornerof Deveraux and Roubidaux. There had been an accident involving two SUV's.One driver was dead and the other had been taken to hospital. As I arrived,I saw Brass in his typical fashion, approach me.

"Well, good evening Sara." he said rather cheerily  
"You get some this morning? You are entirely too happy."  
"Nothing that grandiose. I'm just in a good mood, that's all." he said  
"Well, stop it. You're making me nauseous."  
"As you wish." he said and explained the scene.

I had collected the evidence and headed back to the lab. I sit in theevidence room with not much spread in front of me. I looked up at theclock and saw that shift was near it's end.

"Ahem."

I whipped my head around to see Grissom standing in the doorway.He was leaning in his usual way. He looked at me and walked closer.

"Are you sure you can't help me with these reports?" he asked softly

At that moment, Brass entered the room and stood just behind Grissom.

"I told you this morning, I already have plans to meet someone forbreakfast."

Grissom huffed and turned and left. Brass followed and turned to look backat me, winking. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. I was tired,but I wanted to find out who this mystery man was.

I sit in the back booth of Dexter's diner, waiting for my mystery companion.I slowly sip my coffee and set the mug back down on the table. I amalone with my thoughts when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I whip my headaround to see who it is. My eyes met with his and he smiled his disarmingsmile. I grinned my best, "Oh my God, I'm so surprised" smile.

TBC?  
Mystery, Suspense, should he be revealed?


	2. CH 2

Chapter 2

He walks around the booth to sit directly across from me. I am still smiling.He looks at me and grins his Cheshire cat smile, the one that makes me meltinside. He sits, silent, gazing at me. He sighs.

"So, you let your curiosity get the better of you, I see." he says sweetly  
"Well, you know me. I love a good mystery. I have to admit,  
you were the last person I suspected."  
"Hoping for someone else?" he asks  
"Well, no. Not exactly."  
"Color me so surprised." he says happily. "So, what are we havingfor breakfast?"  
"I haven't ordered yet. I was waiting for my mystery companion."  
"Thanks for the courtesy." he said as he picked up the menu and ranhis eyes over it.

Inside, I was a bit shocked. I never thought of him as the romantic type,roses and all. I can see that he is still smiling behind his menu.I pick mine up and look at the selection. I lift my eyes, briefly,to see he is looking at me. I go back to the menu and make my selection,then lay the menu flat on the table. He closes his and motions for thewaitress. She comes and takes our orders and returns a minute later withcoffee for my companion.

"I was actually surprised to see you here." he confessed  
"Why is that?" I asked  
"Well, you had no idea who you were meeting." he explained  
"Well, I'm here and so are you. So, lets enjoy ourselves, shall we?"  
"I intend to." he says with a big grin

Minutes pass and the waitress returns with our meals. I ordered a fruitsalad and he ordered the same, to appease me, maybe. I watch as he picksthe grapes out of his dish and moves them to the side of his plate. I fishthe pineapple out of mine and place them similarly.

"Trade you. Pineapple for grapes." he offers

I tip my plate towards his and empty the pineapple onto his plate.  
He tips his and dumps his grapes on mine. We eat in relative silence.When we finish our salad he picks up the menu again and looks at me.

"Wanna split a split?" he asks  
"What kind of ice cream are you going to order?"  
"Chocolate and strawberry, of course." he responds  
"Deal."

He motions for the waitress again and orders the split. The waitress leaveswith the order and he looks at me. He looks so intently, I fear he will seethrough my cool exterior.

"Rough day, huh?" he asks  
"Yeah. That scene was the pits. No real evidence to speak of. Then I hadGrissom asking me to stay late and help him with reports."  
"I know, I heard. I must admit, I was glad to hear you tell him you alreadyhad plans for the morning." he said sweetly  
"Well, to be honest, even if I didn't meet you, I still would not havehelped him. He's been acting a little weird lately. He's been grinningat me a lot lately and constantly brushing up against me. I think he mighthave some sort of twisted Grissom crush on me." I explained

The split came and we shared it. It was kind of surreal, me sitting in adiner sharing a split with Jim of all people. I secretly hoped it was him,my Guardian Angel. I was elated to find that it was. We finished our splitand he paid the bill, refusing to allow me to even leave a tip. We walkedoutside and pondered what to do next, as we both had the next 36 hours off.

"You going home?" he asked me  
"I don't know yet. I feel like I should go for a walk to burn this split off."  
"Well, why don't we?" he offered

As we walked the streets of Las Vegas, we stopped and looked in a fewwindows and got some iced coffee at one of the cafe's. As we passed theMonaco, Jim reached down and took my hand in his, lifting it to his lipsand planting a small peck on the back of my hand. I did not pull away,and I think he was glad for it. We stood at a crosswalk, waiting for thelight to change, when I looked over to my left and saw Grissom in his truck,staring at the two of us. I nudged Jim.

"Jim, don't look now, but Grissom is at the light, and he is staring at us."

Jim looked over at Grissom and gave a big smile and waved to him,but not before kissing my hand again. Jim turned to me and smiled.

"That should clear up any questions he might have about you." he said smiling  
"It will confuse the hell out of him, is what it will do."  
"He sees you with me, maybe he will stop creeping you out." Jim pointed out  
"Good point. But then we will have to spend more time together and startgoing out. Him seeing us once will confuse him, seeing us more than once,will deliver the desired message." I corrected  
"Well, I guess we will have to start seeing each other, then." he quipped.

I was a little ill at ease after seeing Grissom, and Jim picked up on this.He did his best to take my mind off of the encounter. We stopped in frontof Tangiers and he turned to me.

"You wanna come to my place, I have Stargate." he said with a smile  
"Well, I do love my Stargate." I said  
"I know you do. I saw the most recent season dvd on your front  
seat last week." he smiled  
"Deal. But I'm just coming for Jack, ok?" I asserted  
"Yeah, and I only watch for Carter." Jim joked

We walked back to the diner and got into our vehicles. I followed Jim to hisplace and parked behind him in the driveway. We walked up the drive to thefront steps of his porch. He unlocked the door and pushed it open,motioning for me to go first. I walked in his house and noticed howspacious it was. He had a lot of open room. He directed me to sit on thecouch and he went upstairs to change into something more comfortable.  
When he came down, he offered me some sweat pants and a New Jersey Devil'st-shirt.

"You want to change into something more comfy before the marathon starts?"he asked sweetly  
"Yeah, actually, I would."

He showed me to the bathroom and left me to change. I emerged from thebathroom feeling very comfortable. The sweats were well worn and the shirtwas soft and smelled of him. I soaked in his essence. I settled on thecouch next to him and he hit the play button on the dvd player. We startedwith the original movie with Kurt Russell and James Spader. When the moviehad ended, I inadvertently yawned. Jim turned to me and smiled.

"Get up for a second." he said

I got up and he pulled two large cushions from the couch and laid them onthe floor. He grabbed a quilt from the back of the couch and laid it besidehim. He laid down on the floor and motioned for me to do the same. I lookedat his suspiciously and raised an eyebrow to him.

"Its really very comfy." he assured me, patting the cushion next to him.

I lay down next to him and found that it was, in fact quite comfy.  
The cushions were fluffy and allowed for a head angle that was optimalfor viewing pleasure. I crossed my legs at the ankles and stretched myarms above my head. He put in the first dvd of the first season and wesettled in. Right about the same time as Teal'c helped O'Neill and therest of the prisoners escape the fortress, I yawned again. Jim turned tome and asked if I was tired.

"You tired?"  
"A little, but I'm fine. Let's watch more." I said  
"Ok, but if you get too tired you can go lay down in the bedroom." he offered

I turned to look at him and grinned.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I said  
"I am a gentleman. I think I can lay beside a beautiful woman and keep myhands to myself." he assured me.

We watched the next episode and half way through I stood up and lookeddown at him.

"You sure you can keep to yourself?" I asked  
"Scout's honor." he said, crossing his heart with his fingers.  
"Besides, I have a dvd in there, too."

I smiled and we took the dvd's to the bedroom and I climbed into bed.He put the dvd in the player and sat on the bed with the remote andpressed play. We settled in and resumed out mini marathon. Very quickly,I became sleepy, and yawned again. Jim turned his head and looked at me.

"I thought you were an insomniac." he joked  
"Usually, I am. But for some reason, I am having trouble keeping myeyes open."  
"Well, just go with it. Drift away." he said sweetly

And drift, I did. I slept for about an hour before opening my eyes.  
I tilted my head to look up at him, he was still awake and smiled downat me. He stretched out his left arm and motioned for me to place my headon his chest. I looked at him and he reassured me that he was a gentleman.I placed my head on his chest and could hear his heartbeat;it was strong and steady. I draped my left arm around his mid-section anddrifted to sleep, again.

The next time I opened my eyes, I looked at the clock and it read 4:00pm.I could tell by his breathing, that Jim was asleep. His arm was drapedaround my shoulder and his hand rested on my upper arm. He wheezes whenhe sleeps, I thought to myself. I smiled. He was being very gentlemanly,offering his chest for me to rest my head on. His hands never came closeto wandering. I closed my eyes and fell back to sleep.

I woke to an empty bed and heard voices downstairs. Jim was talking withsomeone, and I recognized the voice. It was Grissom.

"Shit." I said quietly, but aloud

I thought to myself that he must have seen my truck in the drive and nowthere will be questions. I decided to get the inevitable over with.I climbed out of bed and tip-toed my way downstairs. While descending thestairs, I saw the two of them on the couch and made my best effort not tomake too much noise. As I neared the bottom of the stairs, one of the stepscreaked beneath my foot.

"Shit." I whispered

Jim turned his head to look at me and Grissom followed suit.  
Jim looked at me, smiled and winked.

"Did we wake you?" he asked, feigning sincerity  
"No, I just came down for some water." I said walking to the kitchen.

I felt Grissom's eyes on my back the whole way. When I reached the fridge,I turned to see him still looking at me. I grabbed a bottle of water andwalked to the couch. I sat beside Jim and Grissom just stared. I couldsense the wheels of his brain, and they were in overdrive. He looked at Jim.

"So, you two are seeing each other?" he asked Jim

Jim turned to look at me and smiled again. He turned to face Grissomagain and sighed.

"We were hoping to keep things quiet a little longer, but since  
you ask, we're trying things out." he explained

Grissom looked at me. He had a defeated look on his face. I cleared mythroat and sighed.

"We would like to keep this on the down low, if you don't mind." I said

Grissom just stared, mouth open and said nothing. I kissed Jim on thecheek and walked back to the stairs. On my way up, I turned and looked downat Jim.

"Don't be too long, honey. The marathon is not over yet." I said with asmile and wink.

Jim came back upstairs about half an hour later. He stood in the doorway,smiling. He walked to the bed and sat back down. As he settled himself in,he turned to me and grinned.

"I think we accomplished our goal." he said  
"You think?" I asked  
"Yeah, and that kiss and comment about the marathon not being over yet,really threw him for a loop."  
"That was the plan." I said smiling  
" He just sat there staring at me. He had no clue what to say. Finally,after half an hour of near silence, he got up and left." Jim explained

Jim sat with his back against the headboard and motioned for me to movecloser. I laid my head in his lap as he pressed play again and began torun his fingers through my hair. His hands felt so good. I could feel theheat coming from him. I placed my hand on his knee and he twitched a little,then crossed his legs at his ankles. He looked down at me and spoke.

"I don't think you have to worry about him anymore." Jim said.  
"With you here with me, I'm not worried at all." I said, looking up at him.

He looked down at me and pursed his lips. I instinctively licked mybottom lip, suddenly noticing that they were dry. Jim continued tolook at me as he bent his head down and placed a small, soft kiss onmy lips. I could feel his tongue against my lip and I opened my mouthslightly, enough for him to deepen the kiss and take things to thenext level.

TBC?


	3. CH 3

Just as we were about to kick things up a notch, Jim's cell phone rang.He groaned and pulled himself from me, to check the caller ID on the phone.He growled as he answered it.

"Brass." he said

I could hear him go, "uh huh" and "Um Hmm." a few time and then he hung upand groaned.

"I have to go in to work for a few hours. I won't be long. You can stayhere if you like." he said  
"But it's your day off. Why do you need to go in?" I asked, frustrated  
"Something to do with a case and a witness that was just brought in forquestioning. Like I said, I won't be long." he explained  
"Well, maybe I'll stay here for a while and then go home later." I said

He seemed disappointed when I told him that I might go home later.His expression changed from one of hopefulness to one of depression.I assured him that I would try to make it back to his place later and heseemed to lighten up a bit. He smiled and slipped on a pair of faded bluejeans and a white button down shirt and blue blazer. He slipped his loaferson and gave me a peck on the forehead before he left.

I had just arrived at home when my phone rang. It was Grissom, with thequestions. I picked up the phone and spoke.

"Hi, Grissom." I started  
"Oh, um, hi. I didn't expect you to be home. I thought you would still beat Jim's" he said  
"Jim got called away for a while and I just came home to shower and change.What's up?" I asked  
"Well, I was just a little bit surprised to find you at Jim's this afternoon,that's all." he explained  
"Well, we just hit it off. We have a lot in common." I said,  
wanting his reaction  
"He doesn't seem your type."  
"Really, what's my type Grissom?" I said, egging him on  
"Well, he's older and kind of rough around the edges."  
"I like Jim, Gil. He's a good man, Gil. He makes me happy. Don't you wantme to be happy?" I asked  
"I want you to be happy. I just didn't think it would be with Jim,  
that's all."  
"Well, if not with Jim, than who with?"

I knew this last question would make him think for a while. He hesitated hisresponse for a little while and then said what I least expected to hear himsay.

"I thought I would ask you out." he said softly  
"Grissom, I asked you months ago and you said no. I learned to move on."I said  
"So, you're telling me that if I asked you out, you would say no?"he asked, curiously  
"I would have to say no. I am with Jim. When I date, I date one man.I commit, so does he." I snapped

I realize that I probably should not have snapped at him, but his  
inquisition was getting a little annoying. I had spent the last God knowshow many years hanging on to hope for Grissom and I, that when he turnedme down flat, I decided to give up on him and stop wasting my time.His silence was what I needed to give myself an out.

"Grissom, I have to go. I need to shower and change and then get back toJim's."  
"Well, I wish you two all the happiness in the world." he said, dejected  
"See you tomorrow, Grissom." I said and hung up before he could sayanything else

As I showered, I thought about what Grissom had said and thought it kindof coincidental that he would choose to ask me out, only after he foundout I was dating someone else. The whole situation made me laugh a bit.Jim would get a kick out it when I tell him.

I finished up at my place and headed back to Jim's. Just as I was pullinginto his driveway, He pulled in next to me. I could not wait to give himthe dish on mine and Grissom's conversation. I was literally busting atthe seams. Jim exited his truck and walked over to me. He kissed me onthe cheek and walked with me up the stairs and opened the front door for me.

Once inside, I could not wait any longer. I spilled.

"You'll never guess who called me this afternoon." I said  
"I'll play. Who?" Jim asked  
"One guess."  
"No. What did he want?"  
"He questioned me about our relationship."  
"He gave you the third degree?"  
"Yeah. He even asked me out. In a round about sort of way."  
"He did? What did you say?"  
"I told him no; that I was with you and that I only date one man at a time.That ticked him off." I said  
"That's rich. He keeps you hanging for all these years and as soon as youdecide to move on, he makes his move. That's funny." Jim said  
"So, I guess we will have to spend more time together now." I said,awaiting Jim's response

Without hesitation, Jim responded in a good way.

"I guess we should make it official, then." he said

I was a bit confused for a minute, until Jim reached into his pocket and pulled out abeautiful ring. It had a heart being held by two hands and a crown on top of the heart.He handed it to me and explained the history of the design.

"Its a claddah ring. Its Irish in origin, as am I. You wear it with theheart facing you, if you are taken, you wear it with the heart away fromyou if you are single. How would you like to wear it?" He asked sweetly

I took the ring in my hand and examined it closely. It was gold, so hemust have spent a good sum of money on it. The craftsmanship wasbeautifully intricate. I looked up at him and placed the ring on my ringfinger, crown down. I looked at him and saw the wide smile on his lips.He whispered to me.

"This should really get Grissom, now. He'll flip."  
"Yeah, I think he will." I said and kissed him on the cheek

We walked into the kitchen and he removed some food items from the fridge.He took off his blazer and dress shirt. He was standing in his jeans anda t-shirt. He looked so good. I found myself wanting to pick up where wehad left off, before the phone call this afternoon. But I waited. Thingswould happen in their own time. Who was I to rush?

Jim began to cook our supper and I pulled out a bottle of wine, pouringa glass for each of us. I think I startled him when I reached around himfrom behind and wrapped my arms around his waist. He placed his hand ontop of mine as he continued to cook.

The meal was delicious. He was so thoughtful. It was totally vegetarian.I didn't think he knew I don't eat meat. But as he pointed out, he washead CSI at one time. I smiled as he said this. Our meal having beenfinished, we retreated upstairs to the bedroom and back to Jack and Sam.We settled ourselves in bed and toasted our coupling with a clink of ourwine glasses and a kiss.

We were in the middle of the episode in which Jack and Teal'c were caught ina time loop, when I heard a soft snoring. I looked up and Jim had fallenasleep. I gently removed the remote from his hand and turned the televisionoff. I stripped down and put on a pair of boxers and t-shirt that I hadbrought with me. I slid beneath the covers and as soon as I settled myself,Jim woke up. He rubbed his eyes and seeing me under the covers, I could  
hear him laugh quietly to himself. I heard him undress and felt him climbin bed. He scooted up behind me and draped his arm around my waist.I placed my had on his and squeezed gently.

We woke early in the afternoon of the following day. We showered and gotready for work and went out for breakfast before going in to the lab.We ate at a nice little family restaurant that was close to the lab.Jim smiled as he looked at my hand with his ring on it.

"This is going to be fun. You'll tell me Grissom's reaction, I trust?"he asked  
"This will be fun and I will tell you his reaction, or we can witness ittogether." I proposed  
"And how do you plan to go about doing that?" He asked curiously  
"Well, we can walk in, hand in hand and then when we part, I place my handon your cheek and give you a little kiss. He will see the ring on my handand then we'll have our candy." I proposed

Jim looked at me and smiled wide at the thought of the torture we would beputting Grissom through.

"You're evil." he stated  
"Yeah, well, he kind of deserves it." I said

We finished our meals and drove to the lab, where Jim would drop me off.We parked in the lot and walked in, hand in hand. As we approached Grissom'soffice, we noticed he was in. We stopped just past his door and I could seehim rise out of the corner of my eye. He walked towards his door and that's  
when we put out plan into action.

I took a step closer to Jim, so we were mere inches apart, placed my lefthand, with the ring, on Jim's cheek and kissed him on the lips. The kisslasted longer than anticipated, but achieved the desired effect.

The look on Grissom's face was priceless. We both turned to see him standingin his doorway with his jaw hanging open like a goldfish. Jim and I lookedat each other and whispered in tandem,

"Mission accomplished."

He turned to leave and I playfully patted his butt and he turned to me andwinked. As Jim exited the lab, Grissom was still standing and gawking.His eyes were glued to my hand and the ring. I almost felt sorry for him.

TBC?


	4. CH 4

As I sat in the lab this evening, I could hear the buzz. Soft whispers of,"Sara and Jim are engaged" and "Jim and Sara are seeing each other."

The whispers made me smile. An hour passed and the team began to file intothe break room. I was sitting at the conference table reading a magazineabout outdoor living, when Catherine walked up to me and asked me if therumors were true.

"Is it true? You and Jim?" she asked  
"Yes. The rumors are true." I responded

Catherine's gaze was diverted to the ring on my finger. She stared at itwide eyed and her mouth dropped open.

"Nice ring. When did he get it for you?" she asked  
"He gave it to me this afternoon." I said softly

Catherine's question made me think. I only started seeing Jim the daybefore yesterday and two days later he had a ring for me. Did he alreadyhave it when we first went out or did he get on his way home this afternoon?I would have to ask him this next time I saw him, circumstances permitting.

All evening Grissom kept staring at me and at my hand. I could tell by theexpression on his face that he was none too pleased with the currentsituation. Every time he would be in the same room as I, his eyes wouldturn to me, and to be completely honest it was a little creepy. He had thisway of being able to make someone uncomfortable with just one look, and that  
was the look I kept getting. Finally, after I had had enough, I confrontedhim. I looked at him and spoke.

'Share." I said  
"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked, confused  
"You have been staring at me all night. What gives?" I demanded  
"Well, I just can't get over the fact that you are with Jim. That's all."he said, quietly  
"Well, you better just learn to accept it." I snapped

I realize that I probably should not have snapped at him, but I was fed upwith the stares. He looked defeated and really hurt. It is not my faultthat he finally came around to the possibility of dating me, only after Ihad started seeing Jim. Grissom had waited too long, and that was his fault.He took his sweet time and when he came around, it was too late.

"Are you two serious?" he asked

I looked at him as if he were dumb and heard nothing I said. I had had enough, and I totally broke.

"You see this ring on my finger? Jim gave it to me because he, unlike you,is willing to make a commitment. And you know what else, I am actuallyhappy. For the first time in my adult life, I am in a relationship, and Iam totally happy." I growled

Grissom rose from his seat and hung his head as he walked out of the room.Thinking back, I may have been a little too hard on him, but he needed tohear the message loud and clear. I think I accomplished that.

Later that evening I met up with Jim. I told him about my encounter withGrissom earlier that evening and he got a chuckle out of it.

"He looked as if I had kicked him in the balls. It was really sad."  
I explained  
"Well, I would have to say that he kind of deserved it. He treated you likeair for the last how many years? And now that you are happy, he finds theballs to ask you out. What a heel." Jim went on.  
"He kept looking at the ring on my finger. It was like he couldn't take hiseyes off of it." I said

I knew that mentioning the ring would be a good way to broach the subject toJim. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but I had to know about it.I looked at Jim and swallowed hard, then asked.

"Jim?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I have a few questions about the ring that you gave me earlier."  
I said softly  
"Fire away." was his only response

I sat for a moment before speaking. I wanted to choose my words verycarefully and I thought about exactly what I wanted to say and how I wantedto say it.

"When did you get the ring?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Well, after our date the other night, when we saw Grissom and his reactionto us, I thought about our discussion and thought that it couldn't hurt tomake things a little official. It's not an engagement ring, mind you, it'smore like a promise ring. I promise to be there for you in every way I can,relationship ways and other wise, and you promise the same. It is also asign that you have been taken off the market, so to speak." He explained.

He looked at me with his beautiful hazel eyes and smiled.

"Does that answer your question?"  
"More or less." I replied

He smiled again and asked me a question of his own.

"Do you have any problems? With the ring, I mean?" he asked  
"No. I think it's kind of sweet, actually." I replied, smiling  
"Well, that having been said, I have to get back to work. Will I see youin the morning?" he asked  
"I don't see why not. Maybe we can pick up where we left off earlier."I said, sweetly

Jim grinned wide and gave me a little kiss before returning to work.The rest of the evening I thought about the ring and what it symbolized.I wondered how long Jim had had his eye on me, and what prompted him tomake such a big leap in such a short span of time.

Shift had ended and I made my way out to the parking lot and my truck. In thedistance I heard someone call my name. I turned to see who it was and wasnone too pleased to see Grissom running up from behind me. "Shit", I thoughtto myself, "more questions". As Grissom approached, I could hear that hewas slightly out of breath.

"Sara, hold up for a minute." he called out

I stopped and turned to him, hands on my hips, showing my obviousdispleasure at the current moment. He slowed as he reached me. He stood,catching his breath. Finally he spoke.

"Exactly how serious are things between you and Jim?" he asked, breathless  
"Well, as you can plainly see, I am wearing a ring that he gave to me.I would say that things are fairly serious. Wouldn't you?"  
I replied, with an indignant tone  
"Have you guys even slept together yet?" he prodded  
"That is none of your business. How could you even ask such a question?"I snapped

Without even missing a beat he replied.

"I will take that as a "no", then." he said  
"Listen, Grissom. What Jim and I do on our own time is our business,no body else's. You got that?"

I turned my back to him and continued to walk to my truck, not noticingthat he was following me. As I reached my truck, he came from behind meand cornered me against my truck. He pressed himself to me and took myface in his hands and kissed me. It was a kiss filled with want and passion.It was not a kiss that I would have expected to come from a man so closed  
off to everyone. I tried to free myself from his hold, but the more Iresisted, the more forceful he became. Finally, he broke off and steppedback, looking in my eyes.

"Now, tell me that you didn't feel anything. Just tell me that and I willleave you alone." he demanded

I was at a loss for words. The kiss was nice and all, but it was too little,too late. I was so stunned that I could not speak. I just looked at him andunlocked the door to my truck and got in. I started it up and drove off,leaving him standing there. And you know what, I could have sworn that hehad a grin on his face as I pulled off. The smug bastard, how could he dosomething like that to me. He was playing with me. I was sure of it.

As I drove the distance to Jim's house, I wondered how I would explainthis most recent occurrence to him, or if I should even mention it.I decided not to say anything to Jim about it and chalked it up todesperate actions taken by a desperate man. I'm sure that's all it was.

As I pulled into Jim's driveway, I could see that he was wide awake andsitting on the front porch, coffee in hand. As I walked up the steps,he handed me a mug and motioned for me to sit beside him. I could tellby the look on his face that he had something on his mind. I wondered whatit was. Part of me felt guilty for opting not to tell Jim about Grissom andthe kiss. But I figured that it would just cause more problems than it was  
worth, to bring up.

As I sat beside Jim, he put his arm around me and looked at me smiling.He had an odd grin on his face, like he knew something. Finally, it cameout.

"Well, I was on my way to take you to breakfast earlier and you'll neverguess what I saw." he said, coyly

I immediately felt a lump in the pit of my stomach. It was at that momentthat I decided to tell Jim, before he could bring it up.

"Jim, I have to tell you something." I started  
"Really? What?" he asked  
"This morning, as I was on my way to my truck, Grissom cornered me and..."

I wanted to put this in a way that would make it seem like something lessthan it actually was.

"What did he do?" Jim asked, now sitting up in his chair with a concernedlook on his face  
"Well, ...He kissed me. He pinned me against my truck and forcefullykissed me." I said, ashamed  
"I know. I saw. I heard. I heard what he said afterward. What an ass.I'll have to have a little chat with him." Jim said, calmly

Jim was unusually calm for someone that had just had his girlfriend kissedby another man. Jim looked at me and as he rose, gave me a kiss on theforehead. He walked to his truck and got in. I knew where he was going,but did nothing to stop him. But I did run inside and call Grissom to warnhim. I picked up the phone and dialed. It rang a few times and then hepicked it up.

"Hello, Sara." he said  
"This is no time for pleasantries, Gil. Jim is on his way over and I thinkhe wants blood. He saw us and heard what you said about me feeling nothingabout the kiss." I explained  
"As I recall, you said nothing. You didn't tell me that you felt nothing,so I can only assume that you did, in fact, feel something." he said, smugly  
"My reaction has nothing to do with this. He is on his way now. I just wanted to warn you."  
"Well, thanks for the heads up, but I'm a big boy. I think I can handle an angry boyfriend." he said

I hung up and waited, nervously, wondering what Jim would do and what Gilwould say. Finally, I could not take it anymore and jumped in my truck andfloored it all the way to Grissom's place. When I arrived, Jim was alreadythere and I could hear raised voices from the other side of his front door.

TBC?


	5. CH 5

Sara could hear the raised voices coming from upstairs as she exited hervehicle. She could hear Jim and Grissom, both were yelling. She didn't wantto get caught up in the middle of their little altercation, but hercuriosity was getting the better of her. She quietly took the steps, twoat a time, and stopped at Grissom's door, placing her ear against it.The noise level was such that she really didn't have to press her ear,but she didn't want to miss anymore than she already had.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, cornering her and forcingyourself on her?" Jim demanded  
"Look, I know she has feelings for me. The only reason I can think for herto go out with you, is to get at me." Grissom shouted  
"What, you don't think she likes me? You think she would be better offwith you?" Jim shouted  
"Actually, I do think she would. It's no secret that she has a thing for me."Grissom fired back

Jim paused for a moment and briefly considered what he was going to say inresponse. His mind worked overtime as he came up with his answer. He changedhis posture and lowered his voice a bit. He rubbed his face with an openhand and spoke.

"Well, let's consider the facts. You emotionally keep her at arms length.You mess with her mind. She asked you out, you turned her down, flat, andyou treat her like your own personal human yo-yo." Jim said sarcastically.  
"Well, I guess you're right. With the way you treat her, she would bebetter off with you, You Ass."

Grissom was verbally stumped and this only infuriated him further. He tooka step towards Jim and poked him in the chest with his finger. His faceturned a brighter shade of red and he spat out his response to Jim'sobservations.

"Now listen to me, you little Troll, Sara loves me. She always has andalways will, as long as her heart belongs to me, you will never have achance with her."

Jim stood his ground and took a deep breath.

"You touch me once, I give you a freebie. You touch me again, I lay youout. You got that?" Jim said rather calmly.

Sara was still listening in as she heard Jim's words. She could not believethat Grissom would pick a fight with anyone, let alone, Jim. She wasfurious at Grissom's words, and secretly wished Jim would put him in hisplace.

Grissom processed what Jim said and lost his head. He took another steptoward Jim and invaded his personal space, again.

"Oh? What do you think you're going to do? You think you can take me?I'm more of a man than you'll ever be." Grissom shouted again, pokingagain.

"I warned you to keep your hands to yourself. Now its on." Jim said evenly

Sara could hear the sound of flesh and bone connecting with flesh and bone.She heard a crash and Grissom grunt.

Jim had kept true to his word. He laid Grissom out with one punch, sendinghim flying backward into the table by the front door. The small tableshattered into several pieces and Grissom stared up at Jim, seething withraw anger. He fired another verbal volley at Jim as he struggled to regainhis footing.

"Well, if she is so into you, then why did she call me to warn me that youwere coming over? She wouldn't have done that if she didn't have feelingsfor me." Grissom stated

Jim stayed put and let his mind absorb the new information. Why would shecall and warn him? There had to be a good reason. Jim racked his mind,trying to figure out why, but came up empty. Grissom rose slowly andapproached Jim. He was in his face and flailing his arms about.

"You see, she cares. As long as she cares, she will never be yours. She'smine and always will be, you hear me?" Grissom said in even tones.

Sara could hear that things were going from bad to worse. She knew that whenGrissom went from shouting to calm, even tones, he was at the end of hisemotional rope. She took this as her cue to intervene. She tried thedoorknob, but found that it would not budge.

"She's not property. She has a mind of her own. She probably called youbecause she didn't want me to kick your ass, and I will if you keepbothering her." Jim said softly

"You think you can keep her from me? Just try." Grissom challenged

Sara tried the knob again and failing to open the door, she stepped back afew feet and planted her foot just behind the doorknob, effectively freeingit from its locked state. The door flew open just in time for Sara to seeGrissom swing at Jim's head. Jim ducked and landed a well placed blow toGrissom's lower-left section of ribs. Grissom crumpled and staggered  
backward. Sara stood in the doorway, looking at the two men. Jim sawGrissom's eyes widen and turned to see what changed his gaze. He saw Sarastanding, arms crossed at her chest. She looked at Jim, then at Grissom.Grissom had never seen her this angry before.

"You think you own me? You think I am yours to do with as you please?"She fired

Grissom straightened up and stood, speechless. He did not expect Sara tokick his door in and confront him herself.  
"Answer me, you dick. You think I am trying to get at you, and that's why Iam with Jim? Huh?" she continued

She did not wait for Grissom's response, she just continued to tear him anew one.

"Answer me, you asshole."

She took a step towards Grissom and Jim just stepped aside to allow her topass. He was smiling now. He looked at Grissom and grinned wide.

"You see. She wants nothing to do with you. Why can't you take a hint?"Jim said evenly

Sara kept her approach and was now eye to eye with Grissom. He eyed her andgave his answer.

"I love you. It just took me a while to realize it."

She stood mere inches from his face and shouted.

"It took me moving on and finding someone to be happy with, for you to cometo your senses, how convenient for you."

Grissom placed his hands on her shoulders and almost as soon as he madecontact with her, she raised her arms above her head, freeing herself andthrew him an upper cut to the chin. He flew back and landed on the couch.Jim stepped forward and grabbed her by the back of her shirt, as shedescended on Grissom. Jim held her in a bear-hug and escorted her into thehallway. She was still writhing as he placed her feet on the ground andlooked into her eyes.

"I think you made yourself clear, honey. Go home and wait for me. I won'tbe long." Jim assured her.

Sara turned and walked back down to her truck and pulled out of her parkingspot. Jim watched her as she drove away and only when she had left hiseyesight, did Jim return to Grissom.

Grissom was still holding his jaw, when Jim returned. Jim looked down at thesorry sight before him and made one last comment before leaving.

"I think she has made her decision. Now take a hint and stop pursuing her."

Jim drove home and thought of the events that transpired this afternoon.Part of him was sorry for assaulting Grissom, part of him was glad tofinally have him out of the way. He thought of seeing Sara in the doorwayand tried to think of a reason for her presence there. He laughed aloud whenhis memory conjured up the images of Sara laying Grissom out and herfeistiness in pursuing him when he was down. He smiled at thinking of the  
look on Grissom's face when she hit him. He knew not to piss her off, whywouldn't Grissom.

When Jim arrived at home, he was surprised to see that Sara had not yetarrived. He became concerned and picked up his cell phone and called her onhers. The phone rang, but no one answered. He tried her home phone, butagain, no answer. He backed out of his driveway and drove to her apartment.  
As he pulled into her lot, he saw her truck and parked behind her.He exited his truck and walked up to her apartment door. Just beforeknocking, he noticed the door was slightly open. He nudged it with hisfinger and it swung open. As he entered, he saw Sara sitting on her couch,staring down the bottom of a bottle of Ouzo. Jim quietly approached her andsat beside her on the couch. He turned to face her and as she looked at him,  
he relieved her of her drink, placing the bottle on the coffee table.

Jim had concern in his eyes as he looked into hers. She tried to avoid eyecontact, but found herself unable to look anywhere but at him.

"Sara, I know things got bad, but that's no reason to drown yourself in abottle." Jim said, lovingly

Sara tried to respond, but as she opened her mouth to speak, she foundherself sobbing instead. She slumped forward and covered her face with herhands. Jim could only look on as she fell to pieces in front of him.He wanted to console her, but considering her most recent behavior, he wastorn. Finally, he took her in his arms and drew her to him.

Sara clung to him and let it all out. He continued to hold on to her as shelet all her anger and frustration come out in a series of heavy sobs. Aftera few minutes, she stopped and was content to just be in Jim's arms as heheld her to him tightly.

TBC?


	6. CH 6

Sara woke early that morning to find that she was alone in her apartment. She sat up from herspot on the couch to find a note left by Jim. Rubbing her eyes, she reached for the slip of  
paper and unfolded it. Reading softly to herself, she smiled.

"Sar, Do me a favour and requisition some time off for next month. You'll need to take about aweek and a half. I'd tell you what I have planned, but I don't want to. See ya later, Jim."

Grinning heavily, Sara stood up and jumped into the shower. Feeling the water cascade off herback, she let out a soft, low groan. While washing her hair, she had visions of what a shower  
with Jim must be like, his soapy hands all over her body caressing her most private of privateof places. Just then, she heard the front door open and footsteps approaching the bathroom. Shehad soap in her eyes when Jim poked his head in the door, calling to her.

"Sar, I'm back."  
"That's good. Can you do me a favour?" she asked  
"Sure, what?"

With her eyes closed, she fumbled for the loofah and handed it to Jim along with some body gel.Holding them in front of his face, Jim was momentarily perplexed. He and Sara hadn't even made  
love yet, and now she was asking him to wash her. Far be it from him to refuse a beautifulwoman. Taking off his suit jacket and dress shirt, he stood there and soaped her up. He watched  
as his lathered hands worked from the nape of her neck down her back and just above herbuttocks, which were wonderfully muscular. At this point, Jim could notice his growing arousal  
and so as not to startle Sara, he turned away from her so she could not see his growing member.After a few moments, she chuckled.

"Jim, I think my butt has enough soap on it."  
"Oh,...I'm...sorry."  
"No you're not." she replied, turning to him and looking where she shouldn't "Hop in, there'smore than enough room."

"I don't think that's such a wise idea." he said, struggling  
"Come on, I showed you mine, now you show me yours." she said reaching for his belt

Within seconds, Sara had totally divested Jim of any and all clothing including his shoes andsocks. Carefully, he climbed in the shower and when he reached for the soap, Sara stopped him,  
placing her hand on his. Soap in hand, she instructed Jim to turn around, which he did.Standing in all his naked glory, Jim closed his eyes and let his mind swirl as Sara moved herhands all over his body. Smiling to herself, Sara marveled at what great physical condition Jimwas. For someone in his early 50's, Jim had the body of a slightly out of shape Greek Adonis.

As her hands made their way farther south, she lightly caressed his rock hard shaft and as shedid, she looked up at him. His eyes were slammed shut and he had his arms stretched out bracing  
himself on the inside walls. Moving around to his back, she chuckled again.

"You can open your eyes now. The worst is over."  
"Oh, that wasn't so bad." he replied in a very husky voice  
"Really? Then why are your eyes closed?"  
"You don't wanna know."

Moments later, when they had finished their showers, Jim and Sara stood before the bathroommirror. She handed the comb to Jim and he worked the knots out of her hair while she brushed  
her teeth. His fingers tangled in Sara's hair, he giggled.

"Aw, man. I was hoping to be able to wake you up." he said, a gleam in his eye  
"Well, I've got errands and a doctor's appointment, so I can't. But there's always time forthat." she explained

In the bedroom they dressed in a companionable silence. Sara, having to be at the lab in justover an hour, jumped into a pair of khaki slacks and a medium weight sweater. She laced up her  
boots and tied them off then sat on the edge of the bed watching Jim fish for some clean shorts.

"Damn, I knew I should have done the wash yesterday." he growled

As he buried his head in the closet, he pulled out a pair of jeans and a rugby shirt. Grabbing abelt and threading it, he sat beside Sara and slipped into his socks and trainers. Looking overat her, he smiled.

"So, how'd you sleep?"  
"I slept alone." she replied  
"Smart Ass."  
"I know I've got a sweet ass." she quipped  
"Ok...Um...hmm." was his only response

Walking over to the kitchen, Jim poured himself a cup of coffee as well as one for Sara.Returning to the living room, Jim plopped himself down on the couch and kicked off his shoes.  
Minutes later, when Sara had dressed and come out from the bedroom, Jim waved her over to sitbeside him. Leaning forward and turning to face her, he gave a little sigh. Taking her hand in  
his he then smiled.

"I have to go away for a few days, but when I get back I'd like to take you away for a few days."  
"But I thought you said we'd be going away next month."  
"That's another holiday. This one is just for a couple of days." he explained  
"Where do you have to go, if you don't mind my asking?"  
"Back east. Back home. Ellie needs me. She's in trouble." Jim stated  
"Is she ok?" Sara asked  
"She's fine; just a bit of trouble, that's all. I'm sure I'll be back before the end of theweek."  
"Oh, ok."

Just then Sara's cell rang and she snatched it up. Jim could hear her responding to severalquestions with "Ok" and "Yeah, sure". After a few moments, she hung up.

"That was Warrick. He needs me at a scene that just came in."

Standing up Sara took Jim's hand and pulled him to her. They embraced quickly before Sara leftfor work and Jim packed his bags.

Sitting in economy class, Jim opened his carry on and pulled out a book. Truth be told, hewasn't really interested in reading, he just wanted to take his mind off of going back home to  
New Jersey. Ellie had never needed him for anything before, and since she had called him, hismind was teaming with fears and his heart was welling over with feelings. Even when she was a  
little girl, Ellie would never admit that she needed him for anything and now that she hadcalled him, he couldn't help but think that things were really bad.

Crouched down beside a dead body, Sara looked to Warrick and almost vomited. Grasping herstomach tightly, she ran into the house and headed for the bathroom. Having honked into the  
toilet several times, she stood up and braced herself against the sink. Looking into the mirror,she growled and ran the cold water. Splashing it on her face, she felt a little refreshed, but  
still physically ill.

Back outside, Warrick was still processing the scene as she came up behind him. Tapping him onthe shoulder, Sara turned her head and tried not to vomit again. Standing up, he caught her  
just as she was about to fall to the ground.

"You ok, girl? You look like you're gonna die." he said as he sat her down on the ground

Hesitating for a few moments, Sara finally collected herself enough to reply to his question.

"I don't know what's up. All I know is that my head is spinning along with my stomach."she explained  
"Go home. I got it from here."  
"Are you sure?" she asked  
"Yeah. Go home and lay down. You've probably got a stomach virus or something."

Back at her apartment, Sara grabbed a trash pail and lay down on her bed tucked into a ball andholding her stomach. She had felt fine that afternoon when she woke, but right now she felt as  
if she were being turned inside out. Opening her bedside table drawer, she pulled out a digitalthermometer and took her temperature; 103.4. She prayed to God that all it was would be a  
stomach bug. As she sweated profusely, she drifted to sleep.

Having rented a car, Jim drove from the airport back home, or at least the last home that heknew before leaving for Vegas. Driving south towards Little Silver from Teterboro, he tried to  
focus on what could be so important that Ellie, after so long being out of contact, would callhim and say that it was an emergency. Was she sick? Was she in trouble? Was she pregnant? God,he hoped not. Just the thought of Ellie with a kid made his skin crawl. He knew she loved himdeep down, very deep down, but let's face it, she was far too selfish to think of anyonebesides herself. She'd always been that way and if there was one thing Jim knew about people,it was that its damn near impossible to change your nature. Yeah, you could change your actionsand even your way of thinking, but no matter how hard you try to change who you are on theinside, behind all the faces and facades that you may project, you're still the same person. Ofthis, Jim was a firm believer.

Laying in bed, Sara was awakened by the shrill sound of her cell phone. Flipping it open, shegrowled at her caller.

"What?"  
"Sara, this is Jim. I was just calling to let you know I got in ok. Hey, how come you're notat work?" he asked

"I'm sick. I've been throwing up all evening, so Warrick sent me home. I've got a slighttemperature, but I'm sure everything will be fine." she explained

"Ok. I'm pulling up to the house right now. I'll call you tomorrow."

Pulling up in front of the house he used to call home, Jim had a very unpleasant flashback fromwhen he was still married. He stood in the foyer arguing with his wife and just as he turned to  
leave, Ellie came running to him, begging him not to leave. Part of him thought that somethingsimilar would happen tonight.

The house was a Cape Cod style with a nice sized front yard and a white picket fence that wasnot there when he left last time. In the yard were some garden gnomes and even a lawn jockey  
at the head of the drive. Jim grinned at all the kitchy little lawn ornaments and gave achuckle.

"This must be you, Ellie."

Taking a deep breath and summoning up all of his courage, Jim stepped out of his rented car andwalked up the stone path to the front door. Balling up his fist and knocking, he took a couple  
of deep breaths. After a few moments, he knocked again. Finally, he heard movement. The chainrattled and as the door opened he plastered a fake smile on his face. Standing in front of him,Ellie smiled and, quite out of character, gave him a hug. Having been caught off guard, Jim wasnot sure how to respond, so he just hugged her back.

Inside, the house was very different from what he remembered. The carpeting was new and of adark green colour and a very nice living room lounge set complete with two Lay-Z-Boys and anice teakwood coffee table. There was new the furniture, which was nice, a large plasma screentellie, a stereo system and other things that indicated that a younger person lived there.  
Ellie gestured to Jim to have a seat while she took care of something. She left the room and asJim watched her climb the stairs, he saw what looked like a child's sippy cup. "Oh, God, she'sgot a kid". he said to himself. He wondered how old he was and other things that parents thathave children wonder about.

A few minutes later, Ellie came back downstairs carrying a child in her arms. He appeared to behalf asleep, but his eyes were open slightly as he looked at Jim. Sitting beside his daughter,  
Jim turned to her and took a deep breath. The boy in her arms looked like someone he had seenbefore, but for the life of him, he couldn't place who it was.

"Who's this?" he asked, looking at the boy  
"His name is James Francis Brass II. I named him after you." she said softly  
"You named him after me? Why?"  
"I know I've been a real bitch for my entire life, but I do love you, Dad. I just wanted to showyou that." she explained

"Well, I don't know what to say." Jim replied, watching as Ellie lay James down on the couch,covering him up with a blanket

"I need to ask a favour of you, Dad." she said, wiping a slight tear from her eye  
"Sure, anything. You know that."  
"I have to go away for a while and I wanted to know if you could look after James." she said  
"Where are you going and why do you want me to care for James?"  
"I'm checking into rehab. Its a residential 12 month programme. I've got a problem and I want tobe healthy for James."

On one hand Jim was glad that Ellie was trying to get her life on track, but on the other hand,he wasn't sure if she would ever be capable enough to care for her young child. Looking over at  
James, Jim smiled and gave a chuckle.

"Let me ask, why didn't you ask your mother to care for him?"  
"Oh, that's right, you don't know."  
"Don't know what?"  
"She passed away last year. She had pancreatic cancer. It all happened so fast; within 6 monthsof diagnosis. She left me the house and pretty much everything else." she explained

Jim and Ellie sat and talked for a while, going over James's likes and dislikes as well as hisdietary needs and such. In the end, Jim agreed to care for James on the proviso that shecomplete the drug treatment programme and after that, she go into intensive psychotherapy. If,for whatever reason she couldn't or wouldn't complete the programme and the subsequent therapy,he would petition the courts for full custody of the young boy. At first mention of thisstipulation Ellie was hesitant, realizing that she might never get James back. But in the end,she thought of what was in her son's best interest and agreed to Jim's terms.

The following morning Jim and Ellie woke up and as she packed her bags and gathered James'spersonal documents like his social security card and birth certificate, Jim acquainted himself  
with his grandson. It bothered him that James looked like someone he had seen before and itbothered him even more that he couldn't place who it was. James definitely had Jim's teeth,  
with the prominent canines and naughty grin. Sitting at the breakfast table, Jim looked overat his namesake and gave a lopsided grin.

"So, how old are you, James?"  
"He's two, Dad. He's not very talkative unless its to do with trains or airplanes." Ellie stated  
"So, he's a machine nut, then?"  
"Yeah, he is. Last month he took the tellie remote apart." she replied, standing in the doorway  
"How'd he do that?" Jim asked  
"Santa gave him a little toolbox for Christmas."

Her bags having been packed and put in the trunk of Jim's car, Ellie and James climbed into theback seat and Jim pulled away from the curb. During the ride, Ellie spent time with James,  
saying her good-byes. Every so often Jim would look in his rear view mirror and hazard a glanceat the two of them. He could tell by the look on her face that this was not easy for her.

About an hour later, Jim thought of something that he didn't bother to ask back at home, andthat was James's parentage. Swallowing hard and contemplating his words, he spoke up.

"So, El, what does the father have to say about all this?" he asked  
"He's got no idea. Besides, it was a one night stand." she replied

Given James's age and the fact that Ellie was in Vegas at around the time that he was supposedlyconceived, Jim felt a bit flustered. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up.

"You say this ass has no clue?"  
"His name is Greg and he's got no idea." she replied

At then mention of Greg's name, Jim immediately tensed up and white knuckled the steering wheel.Sensing this, Ellie spoke up.

"Does he have a job?" he asked  
"I think he's a med student. He had all sorts of books about medicine and magazines about bloodborne pathogens at his place." she explained

"Huh" was Jim's only response  
"Dad, don't go looking for him. We're all better off not knowing."  
"If you say so."

Outside the rehab centre, Jim stood by as Ellie and James said their good-byes. It was reallyvery emotional an experience and as Ellie kissed her son good-bye, she turned her attention to  
Jim.

"Dad, I know you'll take excellent care of James, but can you do one more favour for me?"she asked  
"Sure thing, what?" he asked  
"Don't let him forget me. Make sure that he knows that I did this for us. Remind him that Ilove him and that I'll be back as soon as I can. Here's a picture of me and another one of us."she said, handing Jim the photos

Looking down at the two photos, Jim smiled. In the two-plus years since he had last seen Ellieshe had, in fact, undergone some very drastic changes. Apparently, she had proven Jim wrongabout his theory regarding changing one's nature; and for this, he was happy to have beenproven wrong.

Having just landed in Vegas, Jim and James grabbed their bags from the baggage carousel and wentto the parking garage. Jim had purchased a child's car seat back in New Jersey, so he buckledit in the back seat of his car and helped the little man into his seat. Hopping behind thewheel, he drove them home. During the ride back, James was very talkative, asking questions  
about the hotels and casinos along the strip. Jim tried to explain that they were like greatbig video arcades, but soon realized that the little boy had no idea what he was talking about.

Sitting at a red light, Jim pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sara. As he waited for her topick up, he watched James gawk at all the lights, glitz and glitter of the Las Vegas strip.After a few moments, she picked up.

"Sidle."  
"Sar, its Jim."  
"Oh, hey. Where are you?" she asked  
"I'm in front of the MGM Grande."  
"Wow, that was quick. Is everything ok?"  
"Yeah, but we need to talk." he stated  
"This doesn't sound good. What's the matter?" she asked  
"Nothing is the matter, its just that there's something you need to see." he replied  
"Ok, well, I'm at home."  
"My home or your home?" he queried

Her last question made Jim think about their relationship. They had been spending a lot of timetogether lately and even though they still maintained their own separate residences, they had  
become like an old married couple, joking back and fourth and griping on each other. The timehe spent with Sara gave a whole new light to his otherwise boring and routine days.

"Um, your home. I got lonely and let myself in. I hope that was alright." she replied  
"Yeah, that's perfectly alright. We'll be home in about half an hour."  
"Who's we?" she asked  
"You'll see."

Jim closed his phone and continued on his way back home. Looking back at James, he figured thathe'd better prepare the young boy, so pulling into the Dairy Queen, they got out and wentinside. They ordered a banana split and much to Jim's delight, James preferred strawberry andchocolate ice cream. Sitting at a table in the corner of the establishment, Jim broached thesubject of he and Sara.

"James, do you know who I am?"

The young man nodded his understanding.

"Ok, I have a friend at my house. Her name is Sara. Is that ok with you?"

Again, he nodded.

"Well, my friend, Sara, spends a lot of time with me. I guess you could say that she's my bestfriend. Would it be ok with you if you met her today?"

Again, the nod. Jim smiled and took another spoon of their split. James truly was a boy of fewwords, but Jim had no doubt that he understood perfectly well. James's lack of vocalization  
made Jim think about what sort of program he should be placed in for school. He knew that thedepartment had a day care centre at the annex and he made a mental note to check into it later  
in the week.

Pulling into his drive, Jim turned to James and smiled.

"Remember, her name is Sara and she's really nice. I think you'll like her."  
"She's nice?"

Jim smiled and chuckled.

"Very nice."

Having pulled their bags from the trunk, Jim unbuckled him from his seat, and led him up thefront walk. Standing on the front porch, Jim fished out his key and slid it into the lock.  
Nudging the door open with his foot, Jim did a quick visual sweep of the house to make sureSara wasn't naked on the couch or anything. The coast was clear as they entered the house and  
set their bags by the front door.

Grabbing the remote from the coffee table, Jim flipped on the Disney channel and plopped Jameson the couch while he went in search of Sara. As he entered the bedroom, he could hear the  
shower running and he poked his head in the bathroom to find Sara showering. Tapping on theglass sliding door, he stuck his head in.

"Hey, hun. We're here."  
"Again, who's we?" she asked  
"Finish your shower and come and see. We're in the living room."  
"Ok, I'll be out in a few minutes."

Jim left her to finish her shower and as she raked a comb through her hair, she wondered why Jimwas being so secretive about their guest. Jim wasn't really one for surprises, but today he wasmaking a point to be vague. She wasn't really worried, but more curious. Sticking her head outof the bathroom door, she silently thanked Jim for closing the bedroom door so she could dressin privacy. Having dressed in a pair of jeans and one of Jim's sweat shirts.

Stepping out into the living room, Sara saw the back of Jim's head from where he sat on thecouch. Walking around to stand in front of him, she stopped in her tracks when she saw thelittle boy. Smiling, Jim stood and made the introductions.

"James, this is Sara."

James looked up at her and said a very soft "Hi", then turned his attention back to the tellie.

"Sara, this is James Francis Brass II, my grandson."

TBC?


	7. Chapter 7

Its been about a week since Jim and his Grandson came back to Vegas and there was a whole lotta explaining to do. That first night, after the boy had gone to sleep, Jim and Sara had a discussion about the circumstances of him coming into possession of the little boy and the whole "Ellie" bit. Halfway through the conversation Sara said something that struck Jim. He'd remembered Ellie's tale of the father of the child but it didn't really and truly hit him until Sara remarked about the resemblance to Greg that the boy bore. However improbable it seemed that Greg Sanders would or could be the father of his Grandson, Jim made a mental note to find out. But how would he go about doing it? Would he balls out confront him? Would he use lab facilities to determine the parentage? Right now he wasn't sure, but it was something he'd have to address quickly.

Luckily, with his status in the community, Jim was able to find a day care centre that had room for James and an au pare. Constantly occupying his thoughts was the fact that he'd most likely have to switch shifts because he was by no means a rich man and didn't know how long he'd be able to pay the lady. She was a kindly older woman with a genuine Grandmother air about her, kind of like a cross between Shirley McClaine in Steel Magnolias and Rose Nyland from the Golden Girls, but her credentials were exceptional and she wasn't asking for much in the way of money. So, for the time being she'd be perfect, but as I said, Jim wasn't a wealthy man.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sitting at his desk, Jim was looking at some digital pictures he'd taken of his Grandson over the past week and with every one he couldn't help but see Greg. Almost as if someone were reading his mind, Greg came knocking at his office door. Looking up from his lap top Jim waved him in and as the young CSI sat across from him reading from a file folder with regards to a case he was currently working, Jim looked from him to the lap top and back. The hair was the same, as were some of the facial features….the dimples on his cheeks, the general body structure, thin, but not too much so, but more than anything else there were the eyes……..exactly the same. After a few minutes of not really hearing what Greg was saying, just hearing a sort of blah, blah, blah, Jim snapped himself back to reality when Greg waved his hand in front of Jim's face and snapped his fingers. He could tell that Jim was pre-occupied with something so he sat up straight in his chair and asked.

"What's wrong, Jim?"

"Nothing, just looking at some pictures of my Grandson."

Getting up and walking round' the back of the desk, Greg placed a bracing hand on the desktop and looked at the monitor, smiling.

"He's a handsome boy. How old?"

"He's two. I've had a Grandson for two years and I only just now found out about it." Jim said a bit of spite in his tones

"How could that be? If I were a father or Grandfather I'd want to know immediately. I swear, sometimes I just don't understand people. I mean, family is family and real families are a dying breed. Now you've got kids getting arrested, failing out of school, taking drugs and other crap. It all comes back to lack of communication. If parents would only take a few minutes a day to talk to their kids, like during supper or something like that I firmly believe that our society as a whole would be in much better shape than it is now."

Looking up at Greg, Jim's heart did a certain sort of flip flop. For someone so young Greg certainly had some good ideals. It was right then that Jim decided to have a little discussion with him. Gesturing to the seat across from him, he asked Greg to sit while he got up and closed his office door. Returning to his desk, Jim laced his fingers together and rested his hands on his blotter. Organizing his thoughts, Jim didn't want to come across as being abrasive or angry, so he took a deep breath and issued his first question.

"You know I have a daughter, right? Well, obviously, since I've got a Grandson, but you know, right?"

"Yeah, I remember hearing something to that effect a couple of years ago, but I've never met her." Greg replied

"Well, we might have a bit of a problem."

"How's that?"

"Well, young James, here is two years old and Ellie said the name of the father was Greg."

"What's that to do with me? There are lots of Gregs out there."

"True, but how many Gregs have issues of Forensics Monthly and books about blood born pathogens on their coffee tables?"

Jim didn't believe that Greg was being evasive; he believed that the young man genuinely had no clue whatsoever. It pained him to have Greg in this position and lay all this on him at once, but the sooner the better, right?

"I've never been with any girl named Ellie. I saw a girl named Rebecca once, but that was it." Greg said, slightly defensive

"That's her middle name." Jim said quietly

Jim could tell that Greg was racking his brain trying to remember things and as much as he wanted to push, he gave the young man time to collect his thoughts and issue his response which came after a few long, quiet moments.

"Are you suggesting that I might be the father of this boy?"

"I'm not sure. All I have is what she told me and the fact that she's not always been totally honest. I guess I'm just trying to figure things out." Jim said, a thoughtful finger on his lips

"Well, if there's only the slightest possibility that I am, I'll be more than willing to take a paternity test. I own up to my responsibilities." He said very sternly

"You might not be, Greg. She may have just picked the name out of the proverbial hat."

"Look, the Rebecca I was with was about five foot seven with medium length straight blonde hair and these intense eyes that just bore through you." He explained

"That sounds like Ellie." Jim said softly

"Yeah, I went back to the bar the next day and a few times since and haven't seen her. Now, I guess I know why." He said, shifting in his chair

"Yeah, she split. She does that." Jim said flatly

"So, how do we wanna do this? If he's mine, I'd like to know, like to contribute. I mean, I don't make much money, but like I said, I own up to what's mine."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The next couple of days were kind tense and stressful as Jim and Greg waited for the results of the test. They didn't use lab resources, lest it get. They kept it between themselves , as they both figured it was best for the time being. By the time the end of the week came around both Jim and Greg met at the clinic for the results which would either confirm or deny the parentage of James Francis Brass II.


	8. Chapter 8

"With a certainty of 99.99 you are the father of this child." the clinician said flatly 

Looking at each other, Jim and Greg were still, saying nothing to the other. In his mind, Greg was a father and he loved the idea. There was so much he wanted to teach his son; how to play ball, how to read, build with Lego, etc. But as the reality of the situation began to sink in, he and Jim driving to the lab in separate cars, his mind swam with dollar signs. He was in no way in any sort of financial position to support a child. Truth be told, he was just comfortable, himself. His bills were all paid, utilities and such, and had a little to play around with at the month's end. He did have savings and holdings but didn't want to dip into those as quite a few of his stocks were doing rather well.

By the time both he and Jim had returned to the lab Greg was having some doubts...not about paternity, which had already been established, but about his ability to be an effective parent. He was also wondering about how he would meet his son, how much time they'd share together and other custodial issues. Truth be told, he was glad that the boy was with Jim, as Jim had some experience and right now, could provide much better for him than he could. The knots built up in his stomach to the point where when he pulled into the lot and parked his car, no sooner had he opened the car door...he honked on the pavement. It was a loud honk and gained Jim's attention. Walking over to him, Jim knelt before Greg and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Sweating profusely, Greg hung his head and with his eyes closed he began to hyperventilate. A bit surprised, Jim rubbed his back in broad concentric circles.

"Its ok, man, we'll figure things out." Jim said reassuringly

The words didn't quite register in Greg's mind as he became light headed and passed out, slumping forward and going limp. Lifting him to stand upright, Jim gave a few slaps and Greg came out of it, looking around, confused. Trying to focus on Jim, Greg just sort of stared at him for a moment before finally speaking.

"God, Jim. What am I gonna do? I can't afford a kid." He said

"That's ok. He'll live with me for now. We'll work things out."

Holding him up, Jim leaned Greg against the car and made sure he was ok before they went in. For a few minutes they just stood there, Greg collecting himself and Jim staying strong for the both of them.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sitting in his office, Jim called the day care centre to check up on his grandson. Not surprisingly he was doing well...apparently the terrible twos had passed the boy by, as he was very well behaved. Silently, he thanked Ellie for whatever parenting she'd done to produce an even tempered child. Apparently Ellie did a good job in raising the boy. From the way the principal explained things, James was very focused and seemed to be mechanically inclined as well as expressing a genuine interest in reading, so Jim made a mental note to stop at the local bookstore and pick up some books that might be of interest to his grandson.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Keeping in mind that the boy liked trains and airplanes, Jim picked up a couple of books on each topic. As Jim paid for the books he wondered more about how he was going to raise the young boy. He'd messed up somewhat with Ellie and was determined to do a better job with James; as best he could.

On his way home Jim's cell went off and as he answered it Greg was on the other end. By the sound of things he'd settled down considerably and wanted to know if it would be alright if he were to come by and see James.

"Yeah. Just give me an hour or so to get home and prepare him." Jim said as he carefully negotiated traffic

Pulling into the drive, Jim could see that Sara was already home and by the looks of things she had just arrived. The boot of her car was still open and just as Jim climbed from his car Sara came out of the house and waved to him. Wasting no time, Jim informed Sara that Greg was coming over to see the boy. When she asked why, Jim filled her in.

"The paternity test says that he's the father and he's coming over for a visit and we're going to talk things out ..as they apply to James and such."

"Wow. How'd he take it?" she asked

"He threw up and then fainted." Jim said, chuckling

Sara smiled and as she closed her car up they both went inside to find James on the couch watching a show about Scarab Beetles. Turning to Jim and smiling, Sara suggested that James be introduced to Grissom. No sooner had the words left her lips, than the doorbell rang. Expecting Greg, Jim opened it readily but was surprised to see Grissom standing there with some file folders. Seeing the tellie, Gil walked inside and just as he was about to sit on the couch he noticed the young boy. A quizzical look on his face, he addressed James.

"Well, hello. Who might you be?" he asked

Looking up at Grissom, James answered quickly and returned his attention to the tellie.

"James."

Looking over at Jim, Grissom just gave a look. Jim knew the look and briefly explained.

"He's Ellie's son. She's away and I'm caring for him"  
"Oh, so that's why you're switching shifts." Gil replied

"Yeah."

After a few minutes of back and forth, the doorbell went off again and Jim got up to answer it. Standing there was Greg, sweating and hyperventilating a bit.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Jim asked

After hesitating for a moment Greg assured Jim that he was ok. So, entering the house and seeing Grissom on the couch, Greg glimpsed the top of James's head and smiled. It was odd to see Grissom actually interacting socially with someone out of work, not to mention that someone being a small child. Greg stood there for a few minutes just watching the two of them; Grissom explaining the beetle and James hanging on Gil's every word...there was truly a connection between the two of them. Seeing this, Jim smiled and thought that both James and Gil could benefit from each other's company. Gil, to hone his social skills and James to be educated on a topic of mutual interest.

When the commercial break came, Gil turned round' to see Greg and quickly grinned before talking to James some more. Granted, the boy was only two, but he certainly seemed smart, as he asked questions to Grissom's explanations. Leaving the two of them to their bugs and Sara to what she was doing in the kitchen, Jim and Greg retreated to the den where they both had a seat and talked things out.

"He just showed up and when he saw the bugs on the tellie, he was glued. You know how he gets around bugs. He seems to be getting on with James well, too." Jim explained

"When can I see him?" was Greg's only question

"I figure, when the show is over. Gil will leave and you can meet James." Jim said, looking at his watch

As Jim and Greg talked about visitation and education and such, Gil and James watched the bug show until it ended and when it did Gil turned to the young boy and smiled.

"Wanna see something cool?" he asked James nodded the affirmative.

Gil took the boy's hand and led him outside to the side yard where the shrubberies and plants were. Briefly running to his truck and grabbing a magnifying glass, Gil returned and handed it to James, demonstrating how to use it. James marveled at what he saw. In the dirt there was a thriving world of all sorts of bugs. He smiled and giggled whenever he saw a new one, and turned to Grissom with a look that in itself, asked the name of said bug.

By the time Greg and Jim were done talking and had left the den, Gil and James were nowhere to be found. Calling to Sara, he asked after them and was told that they went outside. Standing on the front porch, Jim and Greg could hear Grissom and James talking and laughing. After a few minutes James got up and turned to Gil.

"Gotta pee." he said, running inside and passing Greg and Jim on the way

Stopping him briefly, Jim made the introductions.

"James, this is Greg."

Not bothering to stop, James just shouted over his shoulder.

"Hi, Greg."

A bit dejected, Greg just sort of stood there, silent as the grave, a bit envious at the connection between his son and his boss.


End file.
